A Kenyan police guarding the porous Somali border escaped unhurt when a grenade that was targeting them went off on Friday.
Northeastern Regional Coordinator Mohamud Saleh who confirmed the incident refused to divulge more information.
However, police sources said the deadly Improvised Explosive Device (IED) is said to have been planted under a tree at night by militants from Somalia along the border line. The officer said a laud bang was heard from the area creating a big crater at the area.
The officer said the explosive was planted along a perimeter wall where they spent the afternoons under a shade due to a scorching sun.
“No one was injured in the incident which has caused panic in the rather calm border region,” the police officer said.
The IED exploded a few minutes after the six officers had gone back to duty from lunch, but did not instead opt to change position.
The Kenya-Somalia border has remained porous and vast with officers assigned to guard specific points during the day but locals accuse the officers of collecting bribes from businessmen smuggling goods into Mandera from Somalia instead of securing the area.
The militiamen from Somalia have exploited the porous border and crossed at will to commit attacks in Mandera town before escaping back to Bula Hawa region in Somalia.
Mandera town which has seen hundreds of innocent people killed has remained relatively peaceful in the last few months as security personnel in the area enhance night patrols.